cutbacks

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Shii: Cutting government jobs is an attack on public welfare

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo criticized the government plan to reduce the number of government employees as a way to cut public services.

The following is a comment Shii made in answer to questions on an Asahi Newstar TV interview program (aired on November 9) that Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro regards government employees as the "enemy" of reforms:

"It could be reasonable to reduce the personnel of the Self-Defense Forces and the Defense Agency, which alone account for 40 percent of government employees, as well as the exorbitant amount of retirement pay for high-ranking officials. But the present government plans is about job cuts in such areas as education and social services. It will affect people's livelihood. If this plan is put into practice at the national and local levels, the public role of the state will be greatly undermined.

Prime Minister Koizumi intentionally creates antagonism between government employees and the general public by portraying the former as a group with "vested interests." It is necessary to expose this trick and respond to it using the force of social solidarity. Attacking government employees will lead to cutbacks in services to the public and spur fierce competition for lower wages with the private sector."

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The government economic and fiscal advisory panel on November 9 had its first meeting under the third Koizumi Cabinet and decided to reduce by at least 5 percent the total number of government employees, except for Japan Post employees in the next five years. The panel will propose a draft basic guideline next week. -- Akahata, November 10, 2005